Back of Bourke: Tales from Down Under: Venturing Out

After wandering around the same old loop in Sydney / Pyrmont again and again, I finally decided it was high time I ventured out of the city. Not having a car, I was sadly at the whim / mercy of the public transportation system of NSW. The good news is that it's quite a system. Not wanting to waste a single second of my Sunday, I set out on my most adventurous endeavor yet: a perilous journey to the Jenolan Caves (note: actual peril may or may not be fictional).

I left my apartment at 6:30-ish and walked to Sydney Central Train Station.

It's really not that far of a walk. I've discovered that nothing is really more than a 30-minute walk away, and more often than not, is even closer than that.

To aid you in following me on my journey, I've included a map of my travels:

I was to take a train from Central Station to Katoomba, and then a bus from Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves. Upon arriving at the train station, I was informed that the train only went to Blacktown (the place where one does not go to pet the wallabies), and that I must then board a bus to take me to Katoomba, where I then must board yet another bus to take me to the Jenolan Caves. After all was said and done, I was on some form of transportation for upwards of 8 hours today - maybe more.

It was worth it.

The train ride from Central Station to Blacktown was uneventful. I stared out the window at the urban sprawl rushing by, imagining the countless ways I would meet my demise in Blacktown, as forewarned by my colleagues. Oddly enough, I never even left the train station in Blacktown - I just boarded a bus and was on my way to Katoomba.

The bus was nice, at least - it was a charter bus, since apparently from Saturday to Monday, the train service doesn't run to Katoomba. As we left Blacktown, the scenery began to change. Gone was the concrete jungle. Gone were the hordes of people. These things gave way to sprawling countryside and small towns. It was almost a completely different country.

I finally arrived in Katoomba at around 9:10 am. I had a little bit of time to kill, since my bus leaving for the caves didn't depart until 9:45. I wandered over to the Trolley Shoppe and purchased my ticket for the bus to the caves and 2 cave tours. I then decided to wander around the quaint little town that is Katoomba.

I have mentioned this before, and I will say it again: some of the nicest people I have ever met have been in Australia. I stopped in a little coffee shop to grab a snack to tide me over. There were 2, maybe 3 tables in this place, and just a guy behind the counter. Considering it was clear out but nearly freezing (easily in the 40s), I wanted something warm. As I was waiting for my order of hot chocolate and a crumpet, my attention slowly began to drift toward the display of cupcakes in the the cafe. I added a small strawberry one to my order. While I was waiting for my crumpet, the man behind the counter made genuine conversation about the weather, and very politely told me to grab a seat while I was waiting. As I attempted to open the door with my hands full of food to leave, he ran around the counter and helped me open it the rest of the way. Nice people.

The main drag in Katoomba.

Just a few of the older-style buildings found
in Katoomba.

I headed back in the direction of the Trolley Shoppe to meet the shuttle driver who would take us on our last leg to the caves. Adding to the ever-growing list of nice people, I met Garth.

Garth is a Katoomban - born and raised.
He still lives there to this day. Despite only
being a couple hours away, he mentioned
he has not been to Sydney in 12 years.

I, along with a handful of other folks going my way, hopped in Garth's van, and we were off. We had quite the mini-U.N. - there were representatives from the U.S. (yours truly), England (a woman from Derbyshire), France (a couple of students), Holland (ishn't zhat veird?), and Canberra (a lone backpacker). On the way back we also picked up a woman from Japan.

The ride down to the caves brought even more changes. The landscape was like nothing I had ever seen before in my life - I wish I had something to compare it to, but I just really have no basis for comparison. Many of the treescapes look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. There are also a lot of eucalyptus trees. Additionally, it was quite surreal to see the occasional kookaburra sitting on a phone cable as we were driving through the countryside.

Garth entertained us with many fun facts and his singing. The drive took about another 90 minutes, but seemed to fly by. We drove by the Explorers Tree, which commemorates the first crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813 by explorers Blaxland, Wentworth, and Lawson. It was shortly after that when we took a little side street just to take a small stop on the way there. This turned out to be one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen in my life.

This is the view from Govett's Leap, and the
picture just doesn't do it justice. Imagine the
Grand Canyon, but covered in green. Australia
is chock full of hidden gems like this.

Govett's Leap is actually the name of the
waterfall seen here. It's no Niagara, but it's
still stunning against the backdrop of the
verdant valley.

I could have spent much more time here, but 5 minutes was all we were allowed. After all, we had caves to see. Many of us wanted to see kangaroos, and Garth promised us that we would stop and see kangaroos on the way back to Katoomba. This day was just getting better and better.

Soon, we found ourselves driving through an enormous, gaping maw of a cave - the main entrance to Jenolan.

First, a quick bit of history on Jenolan Caves. Primarily limestone, they are the oldest discovered, open caves in the world. The caves were recorded for the first time in 1838 by James Whalan. They run for over 300 acres. These are some big caves.

This is what we saw after going through the
entrance cave. It almost looks like it belongs
in the Alps or in Germany - like a chalet.

I had 2 tours on the agenda for the day: the first was to be of Lucas cave, the second of Orient cave. Each tour lasted 90 minutes. It was wonderful what they had done with the caves. Brand new LED lighting, easily-navigated walkways. It made it incredibly accessible. Here are some highlights of my journey through the caves.

This was an enormous cavern in the cave system
called the Cathedral, and for good reason. They
used to hold mass in here. Men and women would
come in their finery and climb several hours to get
here. The Chapel is also supposed to have
some of the most naturally-perfect acoustics in the
world. They hold concerts in here from time to time.

I don't remember the specific name for this,
but it was something biblical. When the
early explorers discovered the caves, the only
thing they had read was the Bible. As such,
many of the caverns are named after all
things biblical.

This is a backlit example of the crystal that
comprises most of the formations in the cave.

This is looking down. In the early days, those
people visiting the caves would come dressed up,
with candles and their lunches. They would have
to scale down this slope. Holding their candle in
their mouth, and their lunch between their legs,
they would grab hold of a rope and descend down
the slope. What you must also realize, is that
most men back in those days had beards, which
would occasionally ignite as a result of the candle
in the mouth. What happens when your face is on
fire? Your priorities change, and you let go of
the rope. You can figure out the rest.

Looks a bit like bacon.

The formations were absolutely stunning.

Many were lit very dramatically.

This one is called the Broken Pillar. Admittedly,
Australians are not terribly clever with their
naming conventions. How this came about, was
that the stone at the bottom of the column
actually moved considerably, breaking the
column.

The crystals that comprise most of the formations
have 6-sided crystalline geometry, causing them
to be able to capture and reflect light very well,
causing a sparking effect on many surfaces.

You can see how all of the stalactites are forming
along a single line where the water was flowing.

The appearance of some of the wet (growing)
formations was waxy, almost ooze-like. It seemed
like it should have been moving on its own.

Once we got down deep enough, we actually got
to see the underground river flowing through
the caverns. The guide mentioned he has gone
cave diving here on several occasions, but that
it requires several levels of certifications,
hauling your gear for several hours through
caves, swimming through water with worse
visibility than coffee, and squeezing through
holes about as big around as your body.

Purdy.

Now in Technicolor!

The preserved remains of a wombat who had
wandered in but had not made it out.

These corridors totally reminded me of the rebel
base on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.

Like lots of creepy teeth.

Waxy-looking formations mean they're still growing!

More enormous caverns and formations.

The Pillar of Hercules. This beast is about 35'
tall and weighs upwards of 70 tons. Limestone
crystal is exceptionally dense and heavy.

It's incredible how these fragile cave formations
change color - from nearly white to a golden-
brown.

Another very impressive pillar.

Oozing...

The lighting gave this formation a warm glow.

Some formations can grow in all directions - even
sideways. Called helictites, these formations
defy gravity.

The group descending the stairs.

These were a small sample of the pictures I took in the caves. They were just so incredible, and it's amazing to think that they are only a tiny fraction of the total cave system. Apparently they offer some sort of creepy ghost tour late at night occasionally. I may have to come check that out sometime.

By this time, it was around 3:15, and it was time to start heading back. Garth had promised us kangaroos, and kangaroos are what we got. We pulled off the road to a big field, and after surveying it, we began to see tiny forms grazing in the grass. One...two... three, four...nearly a dozen of them, all spread out.